


A Path not Chosen

by andjudar



Category: Die unendliche Geschichte | The Neverending Story - Michael Ende, The Neverending Story (Movies), The Neverending Story - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 19:52:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7858936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andjudar/pseuds/andjudar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Atreyu is lost in the dark forest after being summoned to the childlike empress but meets someone he has not expected to see.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The book chooses its reader

**Author's Note:**

> [Tales from the Neverending Story]

**The Never-Ending Story**

**A Path not chosen**

 

The boy Bastian took the book from Mr. Coreander’s withered hands. His face was bright with a smile. But Coreander did not let it go.

“Be careful, Bastian. This book is not a toy and it’s not for everyone. It’s a powerful thing which will lead you on the journey of your life. There will be tasks you may think you cannot fulfil but you shall not despair.” Now he let go of the book. He put one hand on the boy’s shoulder. “There will be friends…”

Bastian looked at him, puzzled. “Friends?” he asked but Coreander didn’t answer. He motioned for the door. “The adventure goes on and ever on.”

Bastian put the book in his backpack. Before he closed the zipper, he let his fingers travel across the emblem on the cover. ‘Auryn’, something in his head told him. Silently, he repeated the word and felt it tremble underneath his exploring fingers. Then he looked up.

Coreander watched him and met his questioning gaze. He smiled. The boy then turned and left without asking further questions. He knew better. Mr. Coreander was a weird man, nice and friendly, but weird.

The door closed with the well-known sound of the little bell, then the room was quiet again. The old man now lifted one hand and looked at it intently. “The book always chooses its reader…you will learn, Bastian, you will learn.”

Bastian ran home and slammed the door shut behind him. His father was not home yet. The boy rushed up the stairs to his room and jumped onto the bed. He then opened his backpack and pulled out the book. Once more, he touched the emblem he now called the Auryn as it began to glow. Whatever made him think of the name for it now urged him to open the book on the first page and begin to read the story.

He sat there, cross-legged, the book open in his lap, his blue eyes searching for the letters that formed the first words.

“The woodland boy, a humble, shy orphan by the name Atreyu, marvelled at the beauty of the Ivory Tower. The childlike empress, sovereign of Phantasia, the land of magic, had called for him. She had given him the task to save Phantasia, but he had no idea how to fulfil that task. His brave horse Artax had carried him so far and Atreyu trusted him to carry him even further until he found a way to accomplish what the childlike empress had asked him to do…”


	2. The Chosen One

“You are the chosen one…” the words of the childlike empress still rang in his ears. He slowly raised his hands towards the sky as if in prayer, but then, woodlanders never prayed. They only believed in the positive magic of the luck dragon and the empresses’ words on love and peace. It was all he could do to fight all the doubts that were in his heart.

Atreyu himself had never thought of anything like that to happen to him. Now he was the chosen one, a fate he knew he could not escape. The empress had chosen him to save Phantasia. He was only a boy, a woodlander, simple and free and never had he thought of a task like this being appointed to him. But he had grown since he had left the village, he had changed.

And now the empress of Phantasia had given him the Auryn. It weighed heavy around his neck but he was careful not to touch it too often. He knew about its power to fulfil wishes but he was also aware that there were always consequences.

Atreyu knew that he was on a quest that might cost his life, yet he had no idea of how to do whatever was asked of him.

The empress had been gentle and kind, but even though her peaceful eyes seemed to smile all the time she talked and listened to him, the boy was sure she had been able to see right through him. So she had seen the fear that could take over at any time, she had seen all the doubts and anxiety in him. But still, she had entrusted him with this mission and the Auryn. The empress had known then that this boy, yet untried and untested, was incorruptible, even by the overwhelming power of the symbol of the childlike empress.

The reins held tightly, he stepped forth, shaking as if to lose the negative feelings. His brave horse Artax neighed quietly and followed without hesitation. Atreyu half turned and patted its neck. The fur felt warm underneath his hand and gave him the strength he needed to go on. He didn’t know where to go or what to look for, all he knew was that he had to keep moving. Hopefully, the answer to his questions would wait for him some place and reveal all the information he needed. Up until now, this wish didn’t seem likely to come true.

Atreyu sighed and with one hand felt for the Auryn. At least, it was still there.

The sun slowly settled in the western sky, Artax slowed down and deliberately led the woodland boy towards a large tree which seemed to provide shelter for the night for both boy and horse with its thick and wide branches. Atreyu tied the reins to a strong branch and loosened the girth to take off the saddle off of the back of his brave horse. He took the blanket and placed it on the ground to make it a little more comfortable. After these many days of travelling he felt a little sore and longed for a good night’s sleep. After he had fed and gave water to the horse, he found a handful of berries for himself and then lay down to sleep. For long minutes – or so it seemed – he stared at the darkening sky until it was so dark that all he could see were clouds and faint distant stars. He slowly drifted into dreamland.

A rustling sound startled Atreyu in his uneasy sleep. He opened his eyes and examined the morning sky overhead. There was nothing there, only a slowly rising sun chasing away the last traces of the night. No wind, no birds, nothing. Where did that strange noise come from? There it was again, accompanied by light laughter. That brush over there on the left shook a little, then the one on the right. Atreyu jumped to his feet.

“Show yourself!” he demanded with a shaky voice. His bow and arrow ready at hand, he carefully watched the surroundings. There, he heard the laughter again. This time it was nearer. He swirled around. “Who are you?” he yelled, his knuckles white around the wooden bow.

“You are the chosen one!” came the laughing reply.

“You don’t know anything! Who are you?” he demanded.

“Maybe I’m your friend?” The voice was light as a bell. “Who knows?”

“Show yourself!” Atreyu was on the edge of loosing patience.

The creature – it seemed female, at least as far as Atreyu could see - cocked her head to one side. Looking deeply into Atreyu’s eyes. In a strange sensation, the boy felt as if his soul were suddenly laid bare and being read. “You carry a great burden…”

Unwillingly, Atreyu’s hand shot up to the Auryn, clutching it.

“Do not worry, it is not me who will take it from you. And by the way, it cannot be stolen, it can only be given away.”

“I know that!” he snapped. “I know that…” he repeated more softly when he saw her smile a little. Somehow he knew that he could not trick her.

“You didn’t answer my question before. Who are you?”

“My name is Derra.” She smiled.

“Derra?” That rang a bell. Where had he heard that name before? The creature that was standing before him did not look anything like the Derra he used to know when he was only a child, the Derra from the Woodland Village where he had been raised as the son of all. But the strange gleam in her eyes told him without exception that this was Derra. She had always looked at him like that. There had always been this tiny but knowing smile in her eyes with which she used to tease him back then. How could he ever forget such a smile?


	3. I just want to read

Bastian carefully turned to the next page. His interest was peaked. Derra? Who were she and what was she doing there all alone? He had found out so much about Atreyu and the childlike empress, so why were there no clues on that strange girl? There were so many questions and all he knew in that moment was that only reading the next pages would answer those questions. Bastian made himself more comfortable on his bed, then he turned his attention back on the book.

“Atreyu went over to Artax and was just about to climb on his broad back, when Derra took his hand and….”

“Bastian!” came his father’s voice from downstairs. “Bastian! Come down here!”

The boy frowned and made a funny face. Why did his dad always come home so early? But he knew that he couldn’t let him wait or else his father would come upstairs and this wouldn’t make things easier. Bastian closed the book and hid it underneath his pillow, just in case. When he left the room, he glanced back to check if the book was well hidden. Somehow he felt that he needed to make sure.

“Bastian!”

The boy spun around and raced down the stairs.

“Yes, Dad?” he asked as innocently as possible.

“Where have you been?”

“In my room.” Bastian answered truthfully.

“I didn’t hear you, so I assumed you were still at school.”

“Dad, you should know by now that school finishes at 3.10 pm and with the 10 minute walk home, it’s more than likely that I get home before you.”

“Don’t be such a smart-aleck.”

“Hey, maybe I’m the wise cracking street kid that mum said I was, after all.” Bastian laughed while his father tried to keep a straight face.

“Have you done your homework yet?”

“Dad! I just came home…” Bastian pouted. “But I will do them soon…”

“How about now?” His dad smiled.

The boy’s face dropped. “Ok…” He knew that it was no use arguing. So he would have to do it now. Slowly, he turned, his head hanging a little, and made his way up the stairs again. He went into his room through the door he had left open and stared onto his bed. The book was still there, he could see it. He had never been so immersed in a story as he was in this one, even though he had only read a few pages. He longed to go over to the bed, pull the book out from underneath the pillow and start reading again. But he knew that his father would be quite upset if he found out that Bastian didn’t do his homework. They always got along so well so the boy didn’t want to ruin his father’s trust in him. With a frown, Bastian walked over to the desk and sat down. He opened the math exercise book and started working.

After an hour or so he closed the book with a sigh.

“Finally!” he said and stood up. Now his father wouldn’t have anything to worry about. Now he could go on reading this weird book. Pulling it out from its hiding place, Bastian squatted down on the bed and made himself comfortable again. His back ached a little from doing the homework.

Anxiously, he opened the book where he left off. Thank god, the lines were still there.

“Atreyu went over to Artax…” Bastian started again. “…and was just about to climb on his broad back, when Derra took his hand and held him back. The woodland boy turned and looked at her.

“Why are you here, anyways?” he asked…


	4. This is your destiny

The boy was confused by her odd smile. She just stood there as if she belonged here and already knew everything.

“I live here.” She answered plainly.

“You live here?” Atreyu’s eyes widened. “Nobody lives here. This is…this place is…” He didn’t know how to say it. “My people said that nobody lives here!”

“Then I guess your people are wrong about that? I live here.” She said again and now turned away.

Atreyu stared at the little girl-like creature which he once knew, or so he thought. He had not seen Derra and her brother Fyn in long years. Now he realized that he had never spent much time with the outcast, even though they lived together with the woodlanders in the woodland village. And then someday, almost unnoticed, they had vanished from the face of the earth. Atreyu hadn’t really noticed, as well as hadn’t all the others in the village, for the outcast were a kind of people who never got involved with everything and anyone. But now that he thought about it, so were the woodlanders. None of the elder ones had ever spoken about the outcast, none had ever mentioned them again after they had gone missing. None had ever cared.

 

Derra looked strange but also so familiar as if it had only been a few days that he had last seen her instead of long years. And she seemed to change. Every time he looked at her, she seemed to have grown older, even though her outer appearance did not change.

Artax neighed impatiently and the boy turned.

“I have to go now.” Atreyu said and took the reins again. He would return to the woodland village and then think of a way how to complete the task given to him by the childlike empress, even though he still didn’t know what this task was.

The horse took a few steps forward but was held back by the girl-like creature.

“Seek truth, inspiration, knowledge and never despair. Abandon neither heart nor home. Keep that in mind and please don’t ever forget about the true meaning of these words. They will save your life some day soon.” She said and touched the Auryn. “So will this. But remember, there are always consequences…please, keep that in mind as well, Atreyu. My coming to you has its consequences, too, for me and for you.”

“What do you mean?” Atreyu couldn’t keep the shiver from his voice. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I wasn’t meant to stay here for such a long time. I wasn’t made to endure. Everything in Phantasia is never-ending, never dying, but I am not a part of Phantasia. My time is here is ending. You may ask how I know… I just know. And now it’s my time to go…” she said with a sad smile.

“What? Why?” The woodland boy grasped her hand and squeezed it tightly. She only smiled and pried his fingers from her wrist.

“You have to be careful on your journey for there will be friends and foes. But I am sure that you will complete the task given to you. Just believe in yourself and your strength.”

“But I’m just a woodland boy!” Atreyu exclaimed. “How could I possibly…”

Derra didn’t let him finish. “Why would you settle for a world in shades of gray? You wouldn’t want to let the beauty die, the colours, everything that is surrounding you, now would you? Don’t you sometimes wonder how you make it through the days these days?” She smiled again. “You can do it. You have to…”

The boy sighed and looked down to the ground. “I have to…” This revelation took a few moments to sink in. When he then looked again at the strange creature, she could see desperation in his dark eyes.

“Don’t give up. This is Phantasia! This is your world. It’s all about imagination. Without the imagination of you, of everyone here in Phantasia, there would be nothing left. Not you, not me, not the childlike empress, no Phantasia at all.” Her old wise eyes smiled at his questioning look. “Don’t you see? There’s magic all around you. You’re pure magic yourself. And with all this beauty and magic, you can only succeed. If you believe…”

“Believe in what?” Atreyu snapped. That girl spoke in riddles.

“In imagination…in you!” Derra’s voice was calm and serene which made the boy regret his anger immediately. He suddenly felt apprehensive about the task he was to fulfil. The girl-like creature noticed the change in him and gave him a sad smile.

“I know that it is hard. But you can do it. You may think that you have taken on a task you cannot fulfil. You may blame your destiny. But destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.”

Atreyu looked her with awe. But with the smile she now gave him, she seemed to change. Her features blurred and suddenly Atreyu could almost see through her. She started to shiver and the boy knew no other way than to take her into his arms and hold her. She was frighteningly cold.

But still, in her eyes he saw her strength even though it was fading fast. She did not weigh much, but as the boy held her in his arms, Derra sank to the ground and dragged Atreyu with her.

“I don’t want to leave you…” he said with desperation as she covered his mouth with her already freezing fingers.

“Carry me with you in your heart…” her voice was failing.

“I will…” he whispered. Atreyu held on to her as she closed her eyes. “I won’t leave you…” he cried out with tears running down his cheeks.

But she reached out to him with her ice cold hand and touched the tears. “You have to move on. You have to get your task done and return to the ivory tower with the answer. That is your destiny.”


	5. It's only a story

Bastian wiped across his face with one hand and felt hot tears straining his cheeks. “Why are you crying?” he asked himself aloud. “It’s only a story!”

But he knew that it was more than just a story. He had begun to feel so connected to both Atreyu and Derra and had actually been able to feel everything that they felt. That had never happened before. And now he understood what Mr. Coreander had meant with “there will be friends”. Atreyu had become more than a friend, it almost felt as if he had become a brother. A brother that Bastian had always missed. He realized that Derra, the mysterious girl who had been with Atreyu for a part of the journey would not return, but she had told him important things. He looked at the drawings which accompanied the story and for the first time saw an image of Derra. She did not look like he had imagined, she was smaller and frailer than he had thought. She was not beautiful, but in her eyes, even though Bastian could only see them as a blur in the painting, shone distinctively ith wisdom and magnificence. This reminded him so much of the last image he had in mind of his mother, the last time he had seen her that day in the hospital, the day she died. She looked lifeless yet powerful, like a creature from a dream that everyone knows but can never remember.

Bastian realized that his fingers were softly touching the page of the book, almost caressing it as if to will Derra back to life. He had been covering the last sentence, the sentence that ended the story, the sentence that described the girl-like creature lying dead on the ground. He did not want to read it. With a frown, he sniffed and closed the book but while he was doing so, he spotted another image on a page further towards the back. Quickly, he opened the book again, on the page where he had left of, the page that contained the image that had made Bastian so sad. He turned the page, but all he saw was the same image and the same sentence. He turned another page, but it stayed the same. Frantically, he turned the pages again and again but he could not move forward in the story without reading every single bit of it. With a deep breath – as if to inhale strength and courage – he grabbed the book and continued to read.

“Her face was pale, yet soft. Atreyu suppressed the sobs and felt so hopeless, so lost, so sad. But Derra’s last words had reached his heart.

With shaking fingers, he turned the page now and suddenly realized that the story was not over. He could almost feel the pen scribbling over the pages, writing the lines that had not been there only a few moments ago. Carefully, he brushed his fingertips across the paper as if to feel whether the ink was still wet or not. Of course it was not, this was an ordinary book after all. But the more Bastian thought about it, the less ordinary it all seemed.


	6. A path not chosen

“Did you know that Derra still lives in the deep forests?”

“Derra?” Yoni’s confused smile let him know that she did not know what he was talking about. Yoni was too young at that time, she probably had not even been born then. Atreyu turned to Tartus but the latter only shook his head.

“Are you talking about Derra of the Old Folks?” Don’t you know? She is dead, all of them are dead! They’ve been gone for many years. Atreyu, what is wrong with you? Why do you say such a thing?” Tartus said. “Nobody can survive for so long all by themselves. Derra is dead…”

Atreyu felt a hot shiver running down his spine. Had he been hallucinating?

“Don’t you remember? She left the day you arrived. And you were only a baby then while she was at least as old as Yoni is now.”

Atreyu shook his head frantically. So he had never met her? He, the son of all, had never seen Derra before, but then how was it possible that he had seen and recognized her? What devilry did its work there? But then he remembered. He had only recognized her because of the smile. Maybe it had not been Derra at all? Could he have been so mistaken?


End file.
